1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to systems and methods for managing an electronic product catalog. In particular, the present invention is directed to such a system and method that utilizes product templates, facilitates creation of a workflow to process product data, and allows generation and remote assignment of tasks to process such product data.
2. Description of Related Art
Various on-line services and merchants provide on-line catalogs that allow users to obtain information regarding many different types of products and/or purchase these from various different product categories. For example, on-line merchants such as www.amazon.com™ provide various tabs for categories of products in their catalog including tabs for books, apparel, electronics, etc. Upon selection of one of these tabs representing a category, a listing of plurality of subcategories is generated for selection by the user. Upon selection of a subcategory, further subcategories or plurality of products are displayed so that the user can again, select the desired subcategory to display the products of the subcategory, or select the desired product to obtain information and/or purchase the desired product.
Websites such as ww.cnet.com™ that provide users with product information and reviews as well as www.yahoo.com™ which is a search site, provide links to catalogs that allow users to shop for products from a various on-line merchants that sell the desired product. Upon selection of an appropriate shopping link, these websites typically display an electronic catalog with a plurality of product categories to allow the user to select a desired category of products. The user interface of the catalog then functions in a similar manner to the interface provided by on-line merchants such as those described above. In addition, some websites such as www.cnet.com™ further provide editorial reviews of the products as well.
Many different models of products from many different manufacturers are generally available for each type or category of product in the above noted websites. Typically, manufacturers of a particular category of product offer various models in their product line, each model targeting a particular group of users and/or meeting the specific needs of a market segment. In many instances, each model from each manufacturer and models from differing manufacturers have different features and/or attributes associated with the particular category of product.
Of course, the above described websites incorporate electronic catalogs implemented with a product database which stores product data and information associated to the plurality of products. However, the vast number of manufacturers and models available for each product category, and the disparity in features and/or attributes between the products of a product category pose various problems in implementing an electronic product catalog. In particular, the vast number of products and models makes proper categorization and storage of product data in the product database very difficult. Acquisition of the product data itself becomes extremely difficult, requiring many man-hours to acquire the product data for entry into the product database. More specifically, the acquisition of product data for a particular product is typically conducted by an individual who has broad breadth and depth of knowledge regarding the product and the product category. Because of the knowledge required for such acquisition of the product data, labor rates for such individuals are high, increasing the cost required to acquire the product data. Moreover, such databases are very complicated and cumbersome to use, with very little flexibility in terms of allowing for acquisition and management of the product data in the product database.
An example product database is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,425 to Povilus which discloses a data structure and method for creating, maintaining, and publishing electronic catalogs using a product database that is based on SKUs. The disclosed data structure includes means for creating a product database and means for creating a KnowledgeBase, which includes a concept structure for at least one product realm and a glossary. The concept structure includes at least one concept frame for defining classes of product groupings, where the concept frames include a plurality of concept nodes having relationships based upon characteristics of the products within the product realm. The disclosed product database includes a listing of SKUs, each of which corresponds to a product or a component of a product. The product database further including product information for each associated SKU, and an identification of each concept node in which each SKU can be located. The glossary is used for searching for a particular product or group of products having desired characteristics. However, as evident from examination of Povilus, such systems are complicated, inflexible, and cumbersome to implement and use.
Therefore, there exists an unfulfilled need for a product catalog management system and method that facilitates acquisition and management of the product data in the product database. There also exists an unfulfilled need for such a product catalog management system and method that reduces the labor costs associated with acquisition of the product data as compared to prior art systems and methods.